Manual Oar Propulsion Systems for Standup Paddle Boards

ABSTRACT

An oar propulsion system having an oarlock attached to the rear of a standup paddle board (SUP) is used for manual propulsion of the board. The oarlock is structurally attached to the paddle board in a first embodiment, or remains removable in a second embodiment as a conversion kit. The oar shaft has a blade on one end and an exchangeable handle on the other end; the exchangeable handle may be replaced by a waist strap that is tied the paddler’s body for better stability and for steering while paddling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to a man-powered rowing system for standup paddle boards (SUP) and other watercrafts such as canoes and kayaks for steering and propulsion on calm and gentle waterways.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Rowing in a canoe and paddling in a kayak or surfboard are popular water sports. Standup paddle boarding (SUP) is one of such water sports in which a paddler uses a paddle on a side to steer and propel the board. A paddler typically operates the paddle while standing up and transmits the propulsion force from the stroke of paddle blade through the paddler’s arm, body, and feet to the board beneath to propel the board forward. After each stroke, the paddle is lifted out of the water before the next stroke; the paddle also needs to be switched from side to side alternatively to maintain a straight forward movement. Although this is a good physical excise, such paddling motions could become quite strenuous over a long period of time. As a result, the paddler’s arms, legs, and body could get tired or even injured if not handled properly. Because the paddle must be lifted out of the water for each stroke and shifted from one side of the board to the other side, paddling motions are not very energy-efficient. Single oar systems, on the other hand, have been used for thousands of years for moving watercrafts as a man-powered propulsion. The present invention describes a more energy-efficient, one-hand operated single oar propulsion system for propelling a SUP board. Less energy consumption can mean a longer and more relaxed cruising; and enabling persons who are physically challenged, such as youngsters and elderly people, to enjoy the SUP sport without easily getting exhausted or risking injuries.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A single oar and its oarlock attached to the rear of a standup paddle board (SUP) is used for manual propulsion of the board instead of a side paddle. In a first embodiment, the oarlock is permanently attached to the rear of a board. In a second embodiment, the oarlock is detachable from the board so that most SUP boards can be converted into an oar-propelled board. When the oar and its oarlock are removed, the board reverts back to a regular SUP board. Even in the first embodiment where the oarlock is attached permanently to the SUP board, the board can still be operated as a regular side-paddled SUP board if desired.

The oar shaft that goes into an oarlock can be either straight or curved downwards to reduce the tilting angle of the shaft and allow the entire blade to be immersed in the water. The blade can be either a Macon blade or a hatchet-shape blade. The other end of the oar shaft is connected to an exchangeable handle for size and length adjustment. Using a universal-joint connector, the exchangeable handle can be tilted at an angle for more comfortable holding during rowing and steering. Because the oar blade is always immersed in the water, to propel the board, the paddler needs only to swing the oar shaft handle sideways in an easy, slow motion, like a fish swinging its tail back and forth in the water. To change the direction of the board such as turning around, the oar blade may be tilted by simply rotating the shaft body.

In the second embodiment where the oarlock is removable, the oarlock is integrated to a clamping device that can be tightened to the rear of a SUP surfboard. As an example, a single C-clamp having an oarlock on top may be used, or a frame structure having one or more clamps may be used. The frame can have different shapes and adjustable openings for mounting onto the rear section of a SUP board, with the oarlock on top center of the frame.

In yet a third embodiment, the oar shaft removable handle is replaced with a detachable waist strap attached to the u-joint at the end of the shaft. This waist strap is either a U-shaped flexible belt or a semi-rigid or rigid saddle that can be mounted to the standup paddler’s waist. The paddler can then use the waist strap as an additional back support for better stability while standing on the surfboard, or move his/her body to change the oar blade angle for steering. Moreover, the paddler now can use his free hands to operate a regular SUP paddle on the side. For safety precaution, the detachable strap has a quick-release for demounting from the paddler in case of an accidental fall into the water.

The present invention may further be adopted for use in other types of narrow watercrafts such as a kayak or a canoe.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a straight oar shaft system, held by the paddler’s hand at one end and supported by an oarlock mounted on the rear of a SUP board. The oar blade is immersed under the water.

FIG. 2 illustrates a hatchet blade oar and a Macon blade oar; each oar shaft has a detachable handle at the end.

FIG. 3 illustrates a hatchet blade oar with its detachable handle rotated at an angle for ease of hand gripping.

FIG. 4 illustrates a hatchet blade oar having a U-shaped waist strap attached to the end of the oar shaft through a U-joint connector.

FIG. 5 illustrates a SUP board paddler using a SUP paddle on one side of the board while his waist is supported by the oar shaft waist strap.

FIG. 6 is an illustration showing the cross-section of a detachable oarlock frame mounted to the rear end of a paddle board using two screw-tightening clamps.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The drawings are simple illustrations to show a straight-shaft oar system with its oarlock mounted to the rear of a standup paddle board. These drawings are examples of the present invention that are not limiting the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates the operating setup of a straight-shaft oar system 10 held by a standup paddler 11 on a standup paddle board (SUP) 12 that floats above water level 13. The straight oar shaft 14 is locked on oarlock 15 that is mounted to the rear of paddle board 12. The oar blade 16 at the terminal of shaft 14 is immersed in the water below water level 13. The oar shaft 14 tilts at an angle with respect to the board 12 so that the end handle 17 of the oar shaft 14 is held by the hand of the paddler 11 at his/her waist level. End handle 17 may also be capped with a T-handle (not shown) for ease of gripping, and further allowing the straight-shafted oar paddle for dual use as a SUP side paddle when removed from the oarlock 15. Rowing is accomplished by swinging the end handle 17 sideways, either from the left to the right, or from the right to the left, using the oarlock 15 as a pivot. The immersed oar blade 16 is moved like a fish tail to propel the board 12 forward. For steering, paddler 11 can rotate the body of shaft 14 to adjust the angle of blade 16 under the water to change the direction of board 12.

In FIG. 2 , a single oar paddle 20 having a straight shaft 23, an oarlock stopper 24, a hatchet blade 25, and a rotating joint 22 connected to an exchangeable hand handle 21 is shown. Hand handle 21 can be bent upwards and locked in place using rotating joint 22 for ease of griping during rowing. FIG. 2 also shows another oar 30 having a straight shaft 33, oarlock stopper 34, a Macon blade 35, and a hand handle 31 attached to rotary joint 32. Both the hatchet oar 20 and the Macon blade oar 30 may double function as a regular SUP side paddle when removed from their respective oarlocks for use in the standup SUP paddling mode. Although FIG. 3 shows oar 20 and oar 30 both have straight shafts, curved or angled shafts may also be used such that the blades can be fully immersed under the water with less tilting of the shaft. Other different blade types and shapes may also be used.

FIG. 3 shows that the hand handle 21 attached to shaft 23 of oar 20 is bent at the rotary joint 22 to an upright position for ease of gripping without bending the paddler’s wrist during rowing. The detachable hand handle 21 can further have a concentric, free-rotating outer shell or wrapper for comfort griping by the paddler’s hand. When rowing oar 20 by hand, the inner palm skin is in constant contact to the surface of oar handle 21 and may result in friction-induced damages or tears if the handle 21 does not have a free-moving wrapper or shell.

In FIG. 4 , oar paddle 40 has a detachable, U-shaped waist strap 26 connected to rotary joint connector 22 and linked to shaft 23. Waist strap 26 may be locked in place by rotary joint 22 once attached to the paddler’s body; or the joint between waist strap 26 and rotary joint unit 22 may remain flexible to give the standup paddler more freedom of movement. Strap 26 may also be in other shapes such as a semi-circle or a saddle, made with rigid or soft materials. A flexible belt (not shown) can be added to strap 26 for securing the strap. In addition, a quick-release button or Velcro connection is provided as a safety precaution for detaching the strap in the case when the paddler accidentally falls into the water.

While fastened to the paddler’s waist, strap 26 may be used for several different functions simultaneously: support the standup paddler’s back for more stability and steadiness, use as a backrest while standing up, propel and steer the board, and allow the free hands of the paddler to do other activities such as SUP paddling or taking pictures and selfies. FIG. 5 illustrates the operation setup 50 for oar strap-assisted SUP paddling using a strap 26 tied to the waist of paddler 11, while paddler 11 uses his free hands to operate paddle 30 for side strokes to move the paddle board 12. Oar shaft 14 is locked by oarlock 15 that is attached to the rear of board 12. When waist strap 26 is removed from rotary joint connector 22 and replaced by a hand handle, the oar paddle is reverted back to a hand-rowing oar propulsion system.

The cross-sectional view of an example of a detachable, rectangular oarlock frame 60 is shown in FIG. 6 . An oarlock cup holder ring 63 is attached to the top of frame housing 62 by a free-rotating stand 64 so that oar holder ring 63 can follow the angular movements of the oar shaft. Frame housing 62 opening may be adjustable to fit the rear end of different sized paddle boards. Two clamps, each comprised of a screw cap 66, a threaded screw 65, and a bottom cup 67, are attached to the frame housing 62, one on each side of the oarlock holder 64. Screw cap 66 is used for turning the threaded screw 65 for tightening the bottom cup 67 to clamp onto the rear of paddle board 61. To remove oarlock frame 60 from the board 61, screw cap 66 may be turned in the reverse direction to loosen the bottom cup 67.

FIG. 6 is only one example of many possible designs for a detachable oarlock frame. For example, an oarlock cup holder ring 63 can be integrated to a C-clamp that is mounted to the rear of a paddle board, converting a regular SUP paddle board into an oar-driven board.

Even when an oarlock is attached permanently to a SUP board, the board may still be operated in the SUP paddling mode by simply using a straight-shaft oar paddle as the side paddle. To convert to the oar-rowing mode, the same paddle can be placed back into the oarlock, or other designated oar paddle may be used. 

1. An oar propulsion system for standup paddle boards (SUP), comprising: an oarlock mounted onto the rear of a paddle board; an oar paddle having a blade on one end of the shaft and an interconnecting rotary joint on the other end of the shaft; and a detachable hand handle connected to the interconnecting rotary joint on the oar shaft.
 2. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 1, wherein the oar paddle has a straight shaft for dual use as an oar on the oarlock or as a SUP paddle without the oarlock.
 3. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 1, wherein the oar paddle has a shaft curved or angled downwards near the blade.
 4. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 1, wherein the detachable hand handle has a concentric, free-rotating shell or wrap on the outside.
 5. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 1, wherein a detachable waist strap is connected to the rotary joint on the oar shaft.
 6. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 5, wherein the detachable waist strap is soft, semi-rigid, or rigid for supporting the back of the standup paddler.
 7. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 6, wherein the detachable waist strap has a flexible belt for tying to paddler’s body and quick-release from paddler’s body.
 8. An oar propulsion system for standup paddle board (SUP), comprising: a removable oarlock mounted to the rear of the SUP board; an oar paddle having a blade on one end of the shaft and an interconnecting rotary joint on the other end of the shaft; and a detachable hand handle connected to the interconnecting rotary joint on the oar shaft.
 9. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein the oar paddle has a straight shaft for dual use as an oar on the oarlock or as a SUP paddle without the oarlock.
 10. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein the oar paddle has a shaft curved or angled downwards near the blade.
 11. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein the detachable hand handle has a concentric, free-rotating shell or wrap on the outside.
 12. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein a detachable waist strap is connected to the oar shaft through the rotary joint.
 13. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 12, wherein the detachable waist strap is soft, semi-rigid, or rigid for supporting the back of the standup paddler.
 14. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 13, wherein the detachable waist strap has a flexible belt for tying to paddler’s body and quick-release from paddler’s body.
 15. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein the removable oarlock is integrated to at least one clamp for mounting onto the rear of a paddle board.
 16. The oar propulsion system for SUP according to claim 8, wherein the removable oarlock is integrated to a frame structure adjustable in size for mounting onto the rear of different sized paddle boards. 